“In Radiance“- Now at the West End Gallery
“I am so far from being a pessimist…on the contrary, in spite of my scars, I am tickled to death at life.”
― Eugene O’Neill
I came across the words above from Eugene O’Neill and they made me smile. The idea that the playwright who defined the darkness of the soul having even a sliver of optimism is funny.
But I understand it.
I certainly carry scars. And I spend the better part of my time decrying the awfulness of this world, bitching about the abject selfishness, ignorance, and cruelty of humans, myself included.
But despite my often doomed outlook for our prospects as a civilization, I also have moments of total joy and, yes, optimism.
It usually comes in the form of seeing young kids who haven’t yet absorbed the prejudices and destructive habits of the adults around them. They have such obvious wonder in this world and are not bound by long entrenched thought and belief. Their faculties are sharp and constantly absorbing everything, allowing them to see and sense things clearly.
Certainly clearer than those of us who eventually come to a point where that sense of wonder has faded and everything is viewed through glasses colored with our own biases and beliefs.
Their wonder, their potential, their willingness to embrace the new, and their unconditional acceptance of the diversity of others, gives me hope that might reject the reality we have forced upon them and remake the world in a more positive manner.
That little bit of hope is far more potent and joyful than the whole of the darkness that usually hovers over me. It makes me realize that there is no time and place in which I’d rather be.
Like O’Neill, I am tickled to death at this life.
For all I know, this life might be our — my– one chance at some form of heavenly existence.
And maybe that’s why I sometimes feel pessimistic. This world has the potential to be a paradise for all and we continually fail to recognize or act on that notion.
But the potential is still there and even seeing brief glimpses of it once in a great while are enough to maintain my optimism.
Tickled to death. Not a bad way to go…
Redtree Times 